The discovery of penicillin during the middle of the Twentieth Century, and the development and widespread use of other antibiotics in the decades hence, has been of tremendous benefit in curtailing the spread of infectious disease. Doubtless, antibiotics save lives and help avoid innumerable debilitating incidents of infection. However, as with many scientific advances, there are also limits. Reliance on antibiotics corresponds to an unfortunate de-emphasis of other simple and highly effective means of controlling bacteria, such as frequent washing. Furthermore, the prevalent use, and perhaps over prescription, of antibiotics has lead to a natural selection process that favors those bacteria least affected by the antibiotics. Strains of bacteria are appearing that are highly resistant to many common antibiotics.
Concern with avoiding the spread of infectious disease is particularly high in those industries that deal with the public, such as the healthcare and foodservice industries. A single employee, as a result of one incident of carelessness, such as not washing after using the bathroom, can transmit infectious bacteria to any number of patrons. The results can be disastrous, not only to those infected, but also to the employer's business and reputation. Because the public interest is clearly at issue, the Food and Drug Administration has promulgated regulations that address washing by foodservice and other personnel. The FDA regulations identify handwashing as a "critical item," such that violations of the rules governing handwashing "are more likely than other violations to lead to food contamination, illness, or environmental degradation." The FDA regulations further specify that personnel must wash twice after using the bathroom, using a specified wash procedure. The regulations also require that "a person in charge routinely monitor employee handwashing to ensure that employees are effectively washing their hands."
Of course, compliance with hygiene standards must be complete to minimize the chance of the transmission of infection. The failure of one worker to properly sanitize his or her hands can negate the efforts of all other workers who have been careful to properly sanitize their hands before handling food. Ensuring complete compliance requires constant diligence on the part of supervisors, who typically have other pressing duties that can distract them from always effectively monitoring the hygiene of employees. Accordingly, there are known in the art systems for automating oversight and record keeping of employee handwashing.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,666 is directed to ensuring proper employee handwashing. Employees are monitored, and carry a receiver and transmitter, preferably in the form of a badge. A multitude of transmitters, receivers, and transducers, as well as proximity detectors, switches, valves and a computer ensure that various activities relating to handwashing, such as dispensing water or soap or activating a blower, do actually occur. An alert signal is generated if the apparatus determines that an individual fails to properly wash, activating a light on the employee's badge, reporting to a central computer, or otherwise providing a warning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,986, 144 discloses a warning system using a door-activated switch. The switch detects entry to a wash facility, and an alarm warns the person entering to wash their hands prior to leaving or entering. When used in a bathroom, the warning system can be activated by the flushing of toilet, and can lock the door to ensure that the person properly wash their hands before leaving. This system apparently does not provide a record of handwashing activity or lack thereof.
As another example, the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,945 uses two moisture-proof switches for sensing the immersion of both hands of the employee in an antiseptic solution. Proximity detectors are installed to sense when a person approaches and moves away from a special wash station adjacent a foodhandling area. The system activates an alarm if a logic unit determines that a person has approached the washbasin and entered the foodhandling area without immersing both hands in the antiseptic solution.
Unfortunately, known systems can be relatively complex, requiring connection to external power, such as the 120 volts mains supply, and the services of an electrician, plumber, telephone technician, or other trained personnel to install and maintain the systems. Compliance information, if recorded, is typically transmitted over a dedicated transmission line, or via a modem and a telephone line, to a central computer. However, existing systems are typically too complex to install, operate, and maintain to be practical, and hence widely used, in many of the work environments where handwashing is of critical importance. For example, the foodservice industry can involve large numbers of often relatively unskilled entry-level employees. High turnover of these employees is common. Supervisors are often fully engaged otherwise training and overseeing these employees, and striving to keep costs at a minimum. A complex system can be simply inappropriate, and hence not installed. There is a need for a simpler system for promoting, monitoring and reporting proper hygiene.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for promoting hygiene.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for monitoring and reporting handwashing by selected personnel.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an economical apparatus for monitoring or reporting handwashing that is simple to use and more readily installed in existing facilities, thereby promoting compliance with hygiene requirements.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an apparatus that readily adapts for use with existing handsoap dispensers, typically present in many wash facilities.
Other objects of the invention will in part be apparent and in part appear hereinafter.